Best Tourist Attraction Salinas Near Me

4worldlovers:
Discover beautiful Salinas California: historic sites, unspoiled farmland, a quaint downtown, and the friendliest people around! Visit author John Steinbeck’s birthplace and boyhood home as well as the National Steinbeck Center Museum.


Salinas, known as the ‘Salad Bowl of the World’, is famous for our fresh, tasty vegetables available around the world.

Gateway to the Monterey Bay, Salinas is located just a few miles from the most magnificent coastline in world on the historic El Camino Real - Highway 101. Salinas has the best year-round climate, and the cleanest air in North America. We boast the tastiest wines in California; with vineyards and tasting rooms of the Santa Lucia Highlands declared a 2013 ‘Top 10 Wine Travel Destination in the World’. Learn more

Salinas’ hospitality blends yesterday’s charm with our colorful and culturally diverse city. Downtown offers a unique shopping experience with eclectic boutiques, coffeehouses, restaurants, live theater and Maya Cinemas, a state-of-the-art 14 screen movie theater.

The California Rodeo, International Air Show, and the world-famous Steinbeck Festival annual events share the stage with the monthly 1st Fridays Art Walk, featuring local art, a variety of live music for all ages, kid-friendly and cool street art.

Art Galleries reflect a genuine expression of the people of Salinas, showing regionally and internationally known artists. Downtown Salinas also hosts a number of non-traditional art venues, where emerging local artists exhibit.

Museums include the Railroad Museum and the first Mayor’s house, both located next to the Art Deco Amtrak station, and the Boronda Adobe, a beautifully restored home of an original Spanish Rancho family. Learn more

We look forward to welcoming you to Salinas, stop by our Visitor Center in the historic downtown to say hello! Sign up for a guided tour or take the free self-guided History Phone tour while you are here. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or requests you may have - info below.

4worldlovers: Drawing from the works of John Steinbeck, The National Steinbeck Center is dedicated to Steinbeck’s creative legacy: to participate, to inspire, to educate, and to understand one another.

4worldlovers: The Salinas California Welcome Center new location is at the historic Southern Pacific Freight Depot in the Intermodal Transit Center of Downtown Salinas. As a regional heritage center it now features it’s first exhibit, Postcards, Passengers, and Produce, which tells the story of how the 5th largest economy in the world and the most populous state in the nation was developed in only 173 years. The Southern Pacific Company did not only provide transportation, but was an integrated marketing company that served as an economic engine for the development of California. Come visit the Welcome Center to view postcards that the Southern Pacific Railroad used to attract farmers and other visitors to California, discover historically significant artifacts, learn about the evolution of agricultural crops, and the family owned businesses that have now become global leaders.

Here you’ll find detailed information on where to eat and stay and a host of other options on what to do. There are promotional materials, brochures, souvenirs and a friendly staff ready to answer questions. Plus, there is an eclectic selection of unique local items to choose from as a memento to take home.

4worldlovers:
The Boronda Adobe was built by José Eusebio Boronda between 1844 and 1848 in the grasslands of the lower Salinas Valley. Twenty years later, Salinas City was founded, and in the 130 years since then the town has grown and spread to within a few hundred yards of the Adobe.


José Eusebio was the third son of José Manuel Boronda and Maria Gertrudis. He was christened in 1808 at Mission Santa Clara. In 1831, Eusebio married Maria Josefa Buelna. By 1836, they had six children and seven more followed.

Boronda Adobe about 1887. Pictured are some of the family of William Anderson and Ines Boronda de Anderson, daughter of Eusebio.

Land in early California was abundant, so land grants were bestowed as "gifts" from the Mexican government to those who had a military or civil service record. The Borondas existed by subsistence farming and husbandry, bartering goods, and outside employment. They were respected in the early "Californio" community and they often held minor governmental positions.

Boronda's Adobe differs from other adobes in its wood-shingled roof which slopes 4 ways (rather than red clay tiles), a wide, open veranda completely encircling the house, white-washed, open beamed ceilings and two indoor fireplaces with carved wood mantle pieces. It was originally one room, with the fireplaces heating the open area from either end. Soon after the adobe was built, wooden partitions were added setting apart a bedroom and an eating area. The side porches were boarded in to provide additional space.

The center room was a multi-purpose "sala" where most family activities took place. There was very little furniture in the "sala" to provide more space. It was common to store bedding in trunks during the day. Boys and young men may have slept outside or upstairs in a low storage loft. The Borondas had an outdoor kitchen, called a "ramada." This kept the heat and smoke of the wood fires out of the house. At the turn of the 20th century, a lean-to kitchen was added and the back porch was boarded in to provide more work space where they manufactured their own leather, metal and wood items. The glass windows and doors were probably added during the 1870s or 1880s. Food was grown largely on the rancho in fields cultivated near the adobe. Since there was no refrigeration in the mid-1800s, foods were preserved through drying and smoking, and were stored in the loft.

Because of the size of the land grants, the distance between neighbors, and the method of transportation (horseback and ox-drawn carts), any visitors to the Adobe stayed overnight and sometimes longer. In the evening, the "sala" was scene of music and dancing. Californios engaged in deer, elk, and bear hunting, horseback riding and racing. Eusebio Boronda acquired a certain amount of fame as a grizzly bear hunter. Women sewed, made lace and embroidered. Housework and cooking were major undertakings since large families were common. Cornmeal was ground for tortillas. Beef, beans, and tortillas were a late evening meal typically served.

In the 1850s, the Boronda family life was strained by the attempt to prove land ownership to the American government. Also, the children had reached maturity and tried to gain control of some of Eusebio's lands. Boronda's original grant from the Mexican government was for 6,700 acres. By 1860, his grant was reduced to 2,229 acres. As a result of the tension, Eusebio left his family for 19 months, deeding his property and most of his belongings to his wife. In 1864, Maria died. Several years later, José Eusebio successfully sued his children, regaining title to his land.

The last of the Boronda's to live in the Adobe was Ygnacio Boronda (Eusebio's grandson) and his family in the 1920s. In 1929, the property was sold to Charles Brooks who built his home behind the Adobe.

4worldlovers: Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge was initially established in 1973 because of its prime location along the Pacific Flyway. During the spring and fall migrations, thousands of birds traveling along the Pacific Flyway flock to the refuge, seeking shelter and food in one of the few remaining wetlands along the central California coast. The refuge also protects several threatened and endangered species, including Western snowy plover, Smith’s blue butterfly, and Monterey spineflower.


The refuge is open daily from sunrise to sunset for approved activities.


C/O San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex 1 Marshlands Road Fremont, CA 94555

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge is located on the coast approximately 11 miles north of Monterey, California, at the point where the Salinas River empties into Monterey Bay. The refuge was established in 1973 due to it's prime location along the Pacific Flyway.

4worldlovers: A rich history, diverse habitat and bountiful recreation opportunities await you at the Fort Ord National Monument. Another coastal gem with more than 86 miles of trails provides opportunities to hike, bike or ride your horse through rolling hills, pockets of chaparral, and oak woodlands. You will see a huge diversity of plant life and animals in habitats that include stream side corridors, grasslands, maritime chaparral, oak woodlands and seasonal pools.

Fort Ord is cherished for its link to the heroism and dedication of men and women who served our nation and fought in the major conflicts of the 20th century. This area remained undeveloped thanks to its role as a U.S. Army facility from 1917-1994. During the Vietnam War, it served as a leading training center and deployment staging ground. As many as 1.5 million American troops trained at Fort Ord.